Layer-1 Measurements for Multi-Panel Receiving User Equipment

The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication, and in particular, to layer-1 measurements for multi-panel receiving user equipment.

A user equipment (UE) may connect to a network via a base station. The base station may control multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs). The UE may include multiple reception (RX) panels for receiving signals from more than one TRP. This may be described as multi-TRP (mTRP) RX.

Typically, a UE will perform Layer-1 (L1) measurements on signals received from the base station. These L1 measurements may include, for example, Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Signal Interference+Noise Ratio (SINR), Radio Link Monitoring (RLM), Beam Failure Detection (BFD), Candidate Beam Detection (CBD), etc. However, when operating in mTRP RX mode, the UE may be able to make L1 measurements on the signals received from more than one TRP. The behavior of the UE needs to be defined when the UE is capable of making L1 measurements from more than one TRP.

Some exemplary embodiments are related to a method performed by a user equipment (UE) comprising a first receiving (RX) panel and a second RX panel. The method includes determining the UE is to perform Layer-1 (L1) measurements on beams transmitted by a first transmission and reception point (TRP) of a base station and a second TRP of the base station, wherein the UE tests a minimum number of beams of the first and second TRP using beam sweeping operations prior to selecting the beams for L1 measurements, wherein the minimum number of beams corresponds to a number of beam sweeping rounds, in a first beam sweeping round, simultaneously activating the first and second RX panels, wherein each RX panel generates one RX beam for a beam sweeping operation, in subsequent beam sweeping rounds, performing beam sweeping operations until the minimum number of beams of the first and second TRP are tested, selecting a first beam transmitted by the first TRP and a second beam transmitted by the second TRP for the L1 measurements based on at least the beam sweeping operations and performing the L1 measurements on signals received in the first beam and the second beam.

Other exemplary embodiments are related to a user equipment (UE) having a first receiving (RX) panel, a second RX panel and a processor communicatively coupled to the first and second Rx panels. The processor is configured to determine the UE is to perform Layer-1 (L1) measurements on beams transmitted by a first transmission and reception point (TRP) of a base station and a second TRP of the base station, wherein the UE tests a minimum number of beams of the first and second TRP using beam sweeping operations prior to selecting the beams for L1 measurements, wherein the minimum number of beams corresponds to a number of beam sweeping rounds, in a first beam sweeping round, simultaneously activate the first and second RX panels, wherein each RX panel generates one RX beam for a beam sweeping operation, in subsequent beam sweeping rounds, perform beam sweeping operations until the minimum number of beams of the first and second TRP are tested, select a first beam transmitted by the first TRP and a second beam transmitted by the second TRP for the L1 measurements based on at least the beam sweeping operations and perform the L1 measurements on signals received in the first beam and the second beam.

Still further exemplary embodiments are related to a method performed by a base station having a first transmission and reception point (TRP) and a second TRP. The method includes receiving UE capability information indicating whether a user equipment (UE) is capable of (i) activating only a single receiving (RX) panel at a time or (ii) simultaneously activating a first RX panel and a second RX panel for performing L1 measurements on separate beams transmitted by the first TRP and second TRP and configuring reference signals (RSs) to be transmitted to the UE based on the capability information.

The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments relate to a user equipment (UE) comprising a multi-panel reception (RX) capability that is receiving signals from more than one transmission and reception point (TRP). Specifically, the exemplary embodiments are related to the UE performing Layer-1 (L1) measurements on the signals received from the multiple TRPs.

The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a UE. However, reference to a UE is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component that may establish a connection to a network and is configured with the hardware, software, and/or firmware to exchange information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE as described herein is used to represent any electronic component.

The exemplary embodiments are also described with regard to a fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) network and a next generation node B (gNB). The exemplary embodiments are also described with reference to the TRPs transmitting in NR frequency range 2 (FR2). However, reference to a 5G NR network, a gNB or a specific frequency range for the transmissions is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any appropriate type of network and base station.

The gNB may be configured with multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs). Throughout this description, a TRP generally refers to a set of components configured to transmit and/or receive a beam. In some embodiments, multiple TRPs may be deployed locally at the gNB. For example, the gNB may include multiple antenna arrays/panels that are each configured to generate a different beam. In other embodiments, multiple TRPs may be deployed at various different locations and connected to the gNB via a backhaul connection. For example, multiple small cells may be deployed at different locations and connected to the gNB. However, these examples are merely provided for illustrative purposes. Those skilled in the art will understand that TRPs are configured to be adaptable to a wide variety of different conditions and deployment scenarios. Thus, any reference to a TRP being a particular network component or multiple TRPs being deployed in a particular arrangement is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The TRPs described herein may represent any type of network component configured to transmit and/or receive a beam.

The network may support multi-TRP (mTRP) based transmission. From the perspective of the UE, mTRP operation may include establishing and maintaining a connection with multiple TRPs at the same time. To receive the mTRP transmissions, the UE may be equipped with multiple reception (RX) panels (e.g., antenna panels and receive chains), wherein each RX panel may receive a signal from an individual TRP. As those skilled in the art will understand, the signals transmitted by each TRP may include reference signals (RS) that may be used by the UE to perform certain measurements. These measurements may include L1 measurements such as RSRP, SINR, RLM, BFD, CBD, etc. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments are not limited to these L1 measurements but may be applied to any type of L1 measurements.

According to the exemplary embodiments, techniques are introduced that enable enhanced FR2-1 UEs with simultaneous downlink (DL) reception from different directions with different Quasi Co-Location (QCL) TypeD RSs on a single component carrier. As will be described in greater detail below, these techniques may be used to reduce L1 measurement periods (or delay) and/or relax the measurement/scheduling restrictions.

1 FIG. 100 100 110 110 110 shows an exemplary network arrangementaccording to various exemplary embodiments. The exemplary network arrangementincludes a UE. Those skilled in the art will understand that the UEmay be any type of electronic component that is configured to communicate via a network, e.g., mobile phones, tablet computers, desktop computers, smartphones, phablets, embedded devices, wearables, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. It should also be understood that an actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs being used by any number of users. Thus, the example of a single UEis merely provided for illustrative purposes.

110 100 110 120 110 110 110 120 110 120 The UEmay be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of the network configuration, the network with which the UEmay wirelessly communicate is a 5G NR radio access network (RAN). However, the UEmay also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., 5G cloud RAN, a next generation RAN (NG-RAN), a long term evolution (LTE) RAN, a legacy cellular network, a wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.) and the UEmay also communicate with networks over a wired connection. With regard to the exemplary embodiments, the UEmay establish a connection with the 5G NR RAN. Therefore, the UEmay have at least a 5G NR chipset to communicate with the 5G NR RAN.

120 120 The 5G NR RANmay be a portion of a cellular network that may be deployed by a network carrier (e. g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). The 5G NR RANmay include, for example, base stations or access nodes (Node Bs, eNodeBs, HeNBs, eNBS, gNBs, gNodeBs, macrocells, microcells, small cells, femtocells, etc.) that are configured to send and receive traffic from UEs that are equipped with the appropriate cellular chip set.

100 120 120 120 120 120 120 In the network arrangement, the 5G NR RANdeploys a gNBA. The gNBA may be configured with multiple TRPs. Each TRP may represent one or more components configured to transmit and/or receive a signal. In some embodiments, multiple TRPs may be deployed locally at the gNBA. In other embodiments, multiple TRPs may be distributed at different locations and connected to the gNBA via a backhaul connection. For example, multiple small cells may be deployed at different locations and connected to the gNBA. However, these examples are merely provided for illustrative purposes.

Those skilled in the art will understand that TRPs are configured to be adaptable to a wide variety of different conditions and deployment scenarios. Thus, any reference to a TRP being a particular network component or multiple TRPs being deployed in a particular arrangement is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The TRPs described herein may represent any type of network component configured to transmit and/or receive a beam. As indicated above, in some examples, the terms “TRP” and “cell” may be used interchangeably to generally refer to the same connection and/or node.

110 120 120 110 120 110 120 110 120 Those skilled in the art will understand that any association procedure may be performed for the UEto connect to the 5G NR RAN. For example, as discussed above, the 5G NR RANmay be associated with a particular cellular provider where the UEand/or the user thereof has a contract and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR RAN, the UEmay transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with the 5G NR RAN. More specifically, the UEmay associate with a specific base station, e.g., the gNBA.

100 130 140 150 160 130 130 140 150 110 150 130 140 110 160 140 130 160 110 The network arrangementalso includes a cellular core network, the Internet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and a network services backbone. The cellular core networkmay refer an interconnected set of components that manages the operation and traffic of the cellular network. It may include the evolved packet core (EPC) and/or the 5G core (5GC). The cellular core networkalso manages the traffic that flows between the cellular network and the Internet. The IMSmay be generally described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UEusing the IP protocol. The IMSmay communicate with the cellular core networkand the Internetto provide the multimedia services to the UE. The network services backboneis in communication either directly or indirectly with the Internetand the cellular core network. The network services backbonemay be generally described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a suite of services that may be used to extend the functionalities of the UEin communication with the various networks.

2 FIG. 1 FIG. 110 110 100 110 205 210 215 220 225 230 230 110 shows an exemplary UEaccording to various exemplary embodiments. The UEwill be described with regard to the network arrangementof. The UEmay include a processor, a memory arrangement, a display device, an input/output (I/O) device, a transceiverand other components. The other componentsmay include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a power supply, a data acquisition device, ports to electrically connect the UEto other electronic devices, etc.

205 110 235 235 The processormay be configured to execute a plurality of engines of the UE. For example, the engines may include a mTRP L1 measurement engine. The mTRP L1 measurement enginemay perform various operations related to simultaneous downlink (DL) reception of reference signals from multiple TRPs for L1 measurements. These operations include, but are not limited to, determining a number of beam sweeping operations to perform, determining a measurement period for the L1 measurements, reporting capability information to the network and determining whether to relax scheduling or measurement restrictions.

235 205 235 110 110 205 The above referenced enginebeing applications (e. g., a program) executed by the processoris merely provided for illustrative purposes. The functionality associated with the enginemay also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the UEor may be a modular component coupled to the UE, e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. The engine may also be embodied as one application or separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processoris split among two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an applications processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a UE.

210 110 215 220 215 220 225 120 225 The memory arrangementmay be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE. The display devicemay be a hardware component configured to show data to a user while the I/O devicemay be a hardware component that enables the user to enter inputs. The display deviceand the I/O devicemay be separate components or integrated together such as a touchscreen. The transceivermay be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN, an LTE-RAN (not pictured), a legacy RAN (not pictured), a WLAN (not pictured), etc. Accordingly, the transceivermay operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., set of consecutive frequencies).

3 FIG. 300 300 120 110 shows an exemplary base stationaccording to various exemplary embodiments. The base stationmay represent the gNBA or any other type of access node through which the UEmay establish a connection and manage network operations.

300 305 310 315 320 325 330 330 300 The base stationmay include a processor, a memory arrangement, an input/output (I/O) device, a transceiver, multiple TRPsand other components. The other componentsmay include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery, a data acquisition device, ports to electrically connect the base stationto other electronic devices and/or power sources, TxRUS, transceiver chains, antenna elements, antenna panels, etc.

330 300 300 300 330 As indicated above, in some scenarios, the multiple TRPsmay be deployed locally at the base station. In other scenarios, one or more of the multiple TRPs may be deployed at physical locations remote from the base stationand connected to the base station via a backhaul connection. The base stationmay be configured to control the multiple TRPsand perform operations such as, but not limited to, assigning resources, configuring reference signals, implementing beam management techniques, etc.

305 300 335 The processormay be configured to execute a plurality of engines for the base station. For example, the engines may include a mTRP L1 measurement enginethat may perform various operations related to simultaneous downlink (DL) reception of reference signals by a UE from multiple TRPs for L1 measurements. These operations include, but are not limited to, configuring reference signals for the UE, determining a measurement period for the L1 measurements, receiving UE capability information and determining whether to relax scheduling or measurement restrictions.

335 305 335 300 300 305 The above noted enginebeing an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processoris only exemplary. The functionality associated with the enginemay also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the base stationor may be a modular component coupled to the base station, e. g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. In addition, in some base stations, the functionality described for the processoris split among a plurality of processors (e.g., a baseband processor, an applications processor, etc.) . The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a base station.

310 300 315 300 320 110 100 320 320 The memorymay be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the base station. The I/O devicemay be a hardware component or ports that enable a user to interact with the base station. The transceivermay be a hardware component configured to exchange data with the UEand any other UE in the network arrangement. The transceivermay operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., set of consecutive frequencies). Therefore, the transceivermay include one or more components (e.g., radios) to enable the data exchange with the various networks and UEs.

4 FIG. 4 FIG. 400 410 420 110 110 410 420 shows an exemplary arrangementcomprising two TRPsandtransmitting to a UEaccording to various exemplary embodiments.illustrates an example where the UEhas activated two RX panels and is receiving signals from a first TRPvia a first RX panel and is receiving signals from a second TRPvia a second RX panel.

4 FIG. 110 410 420 110 110 As shown in, the UEis receiving beams at an Angle of Arrival (AoA) specific to each TRP, e.g., AoA1 from TRPand AoA2 from TRP. As described above, these beams may comprise signals in FR2-1 with different QCL TypeD RSs. The UEmay use each of the two beams for L1 measurements. A result of the UEusing both beams for L1 measurements may be that the measurement period can be reduced or the existing measurement period may be used and scheduling restrictions can be relaxed. Manners of implementing the exemplary embodiments to obtain these results will be described in greater detail below.

5 FIG. 5 FIG. 5 FIG. shows examples of current measurement periods for L1 measurements when a UE uses one RX panel to measure a single beam from a single TRP. This means the UE is measuring a single RX beam at any time. Thus, the tables inare based on the assumption that the UE is performing measurements on a signal received from a single TRP or gNB. The examples ofshow the L1-RSRP measurement period (or delay) that is defined in 3GPP TS 38.133. Table 9.5.4.1-2 is for Synchronization Signal Block (SSB)-based L1-RSRP measurement and Table 9.5.4.2-2 is for Channel State Information (CSI) RS-based L1-RSRP measurement. It should be understood that these tables are only provided as examples and other L1 measurements may have different measurement periods.

5 FIG. However, for the examples provided above and for other L1 measurement periods, one of the parameters used to calculate the measurement period is a beam sweeping factor N. The current beam sweeping factor N for single panel RX has a value of 8 assuming a UE uses a single activated RX panel to perform beam sweeping. Since at any given time only one panel is activated, the UE can only generate one RX beam at a time. Thus, the beam sweeping factor of 8 means that UE needs N occasions to sweep N different RX beams in each round of beam sweeping for L1 measurements. The exemplary embodiments of multi-panel RX allows the beam sweeping value to be reduced to a number less than 8. In the exemplary embodiments, this new beam sweeping factor may be referred to as N′, where N′<8. Examples of values for N′ will be provided below. However, it should be apparent from the formulas in the tables ofthat reducing the value of N will reduce the measurement period.

110 410 420 In some exemplary embodiments, previously determined Layer-3 (L3) measurements may be used to down select panels/beams, e.g., to reduce the beam sweeping factor N. Those skilled in the art will understand that while the exemplary embodiments are being described with reference to L1 measurements, the UEmay perform many other measurements on the signals received from the TRPsand, including L3 measurements. L3 measurements are typically used for operations such as handover and may include the same general types of measurements performed for L1, e. g., RSRP. The L3 measurements may include beam level measurements, e.g., measurements related to individual beams or groups of beams that are being transmitted by a TRP.

110 410 420 In the exemplary embodiments, the UEmay use the beam level L3 measurements (or any other measurements) that have inherent information about the beams being transmitted by each of the TRPsandto reduce the number of sweeping fine beams for L1 measurement. This means the beam sweeping factor N can be reduced to N′ (e.g., where N′<8).

6 FIG. 110 110 410 610 640 110 420 650 680 shows a first example of a UEperforming a beam sweeping operation for purposes of L1 measurements according to various exemplary embodiments. In this example, it may be considered that the UEhas a first RX panel activated that is performing a beam sweeping operation for signals from the first TRP. These beams generated by the first RX panel are labeled-. Similarly, it may be considered that the UEhas a second RX panel activated that is performing a beam sweeping operation for signals from the second TRP. These beams generated by the second RX panel are labeled-.

610 680 110 110 410 650 680 110 610 640 110 420 610 640 110 650 680 If all the beams-were used in a beam sweeping round, the beam sweeping factor would be the standard N, e.g., 4 on the first RX panel and 4 on the second RX panel. However, in this exemplary embodiment, the UEmay reduce the number of beams used for a beam sweeping round based on previously determined Layer-3 (L3) measurements. For example, previous L3 measurements may indicate that the UEis unlikely to find a valid beam for L1 measurements for TRPusing beams-and thus, the UEmay only activate the beams-for the first RX panel. Similarly, based on the previous L3 measurements, the UEmay determine it is unlikely to find a valid beam for L1 measurements for TRPusing beams-and thus, the UEmay only activate the beams-for the second RX panel. Thus, in this example, the beams used for each round of beam sweeping for each TRP would be reduced from N to N′=4.

It should be understood that the above was only exemplary and the use of the previous L3 measurements may result in a different number or different combination of beam sweeping patterns being active.

110 110 110 In other exemplary embodiments, the previous L3 measurements are not used to reduce the panels/beams. In these exemplary embodiments, the fine beam sweeping will need to cover a sphere projected out from the UE. Thus, how much N may be reduced depends on UE implementation. The following figures provide examples of a reduction. It should be understood that the reduction is based on the fact that the UEis capable of generating two beams pointing in different directions with two activated RX panels on each beam sweeping occasion and reducing the beam sweeping factor should still result in the UEdetecting a valid beam for L1 measurement purposes.

6 FIG. 110 610 640 650 680 610 650 620 660 630 670 640 680 showing the first example of a UEperforming a beam sweeping operation for purposes of L1 measurements may also be used to illustrate an example of the currently described exemplary embodiments. In this example, each RX panel can generate four beams pointing in different directions (e. g., beams-from RX panel 1 and beams-from RX panel 2). Since the UE can sweep two beams, e. g.,and, on the first beam sweeping occasion,andon the second occasion,andon the third occasion, andandon the fourth occasion, the UE only needs 4 such beam sweeping occasions to complete sweeping of 8 beams. Thus, in this example, the beam sweeping factor would be reduced to N′=4, e.g., 2 on the first RX panel and 2 on the second RX panel.

610 670 630 680 620 660 640 650 It should be understood that the above was only exemplary and there may be other beam sweeping patterns used to reduce N to N′. For example, on the first occasion beamsandare swept, on the second occasion beamsandare swept, on the third occasion beamsandare swept, and on the fourth occasion beamsandare swept. Other combinations of beam sweeping patterns may be active at a given time.

110 110 The number of active beam sweeping patterns and the combination of the active beam sweeping patterns may be based on any factor or combination of factors. For example, factors may include a location/orientation of the UE, the cell on which the UEis camped, and the relative position between the UE and the TRP.

7 FIG. 110 710 720 730 780 shows a first example of a UEperforming a beam sweeping operation for purposes of L1 measurements according to various exemplary embodiments. In this example, RX panel 1 can generate two beams, e.g.,and, and RX panel 2 can generate six beams, e.g.,-.

110 710 730 720 740 750 760 780 7 FIG. 6 FIG. In this exemplary embodiment, the UEmay again reduce the beam sweeping factor (e.g., the number of occasions needed to sweep 8 beams). For example, on the first occasion beamsandare swept, on the second occasion beamsandare swept. However, on the third occasion, only beamis swept, as there is no more beams from RX panel 1 to be swept. Subsequently, beams-are swept on the fourth, fifth and sixth occasion, respectively. Comparingto, it can be seen that the number of beams each RX panel can generate may affect the beam sweeping operations. Thus, in this example, the beam sweeping factor would be reduced to N′=6, e.g., 2 on the first RX panel and 4 on the second RX panel.

Similar to the first example with respect to the currently described exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the above was only exemplary and there may be other manners of reducing N to N′ and the combination of beam sweeping patterns that are activated for a particular RX panel may be determined based on any relevant factor.

In some exemplary embodiments the new beam sweeping factor, N′<8, may be a range of values that may be hard coded into the standards (e.g., 3GPP standards and UEs capable of activating two RX panels at a time need to meet the corresponding L1 measurement delay requirement for each N.

In other exemplary embodiments, the value of N′ may be a UE capability. In these exemplary embodiments, the UE may report various information to the network. For example, the UE may report the value of N′, whether the UE is operating with one or two active RX panels at a time for L1 measurement purposes, etc.

8 FIG. 800 110 800 110 120 110 120 120 110 120 120 110 120 110 120 shows a signaling diagramfor the UEto report a capability related to mTRP L1 measurements according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagramis performed between the UEand the gNBA. As described above, the UEmay perform an association procedure to communicate with the 5G NR RANvia the gNBA. As part of this association procedure the UEmay send capability information to the gNBA. While the exemplary embodiments describe the UE capability information being provided during an association procedure it should be understood that the UE capability information may be provided to the gNBA at any time when the UEis camped on the gNBA and may also be updated periodically while the UEis camped on the gNBA.

810 110 120 110 110 Thus, in, the UEwill send UE capability information to the gNBA. The UE capability information may include the value of N′, e.g., N′<8. In the same UE capability message (or in a different UE capability message), the UEmay also report whether the UEoperates with one or two active RX panels at a time for L1 measurement purposes.

110 120 110 110 In some exemplary embodiments, the UEmay only report the value of N′ and the gNBA may then infer that since the UEsupports a lower beam sweeping factor, the UEwill have two active RX panels at a time for L1 measurement purposes.

110 110 110 110 120 In other exemplary embodiments, the UEmay report both the N′ and whether the UEis operating with one or two active RX panels at a time for L1 measurement purposes. In this case, the UEmay have the ability to use one or two RX panels and switch between one or two RX panels based on any individual factor. If the UEreports N′ but that it is currently only supporting one RX panel, the gNBA will understand that the N′ value is not valid and the original value of N is applicable.

The UE capability information may be reported via any signaling mechanism, e.g., Uplink Control Information (UCI), Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE), Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, etc.

5 FIG. In each of the above described exemplary embodiments it was described that in the mTRP L1 measurement scenario, it is possible to reduce N to N′. In some exemplary embodiments, this reduction of N to N′ may be used to reduce the L1 measurement delay, e.g., based on the formulas described above with reference to. In these exemplary embodiments, the L1 measurement delay is reduced but the measurement and/or scheduling restrictions that apply to the current single TRP L1 measurements remain unchanged.

In other exemplary embodiments, this reduction of N to N′ may be used to change the measurement and/or scheduling restrictions. In these exemplary embodiments, even though the beam sweeping factor N is reduced to N′ as described above by way of example, the determination of the L1 measurement delay is still based on the value of N being assumed to be 8, e.g., the calculated L1 measurement delay is the same for the single TRP and mTRP scenario. However, by leaving the L1 measurement delay the same, this allows the measurement and/or scheduling restrictions to be relaxed.

The following provides examples of exemplary manners of relaxing the scheduling restrictions. However, those skilled in the art will understand that these exemplary manners of relaxing the scheduling restrictions may be applied equally to the measurement restrictions.

Report SSB SSB Report SSB SSB 5 FIG. In some exemplary embodiments, during the L1 measurement period, e. g., max (T, ceil (M*P*N)*T) for non-DRX SSB based L1 measurement as shown in. The network may assume the UE will use the first ceil (M*P*N′)*Tfor measurement, and thus, the scheduling restriction for the remaining time can be lifted, e.g., max (T, ceil (M*P*N) *T)−ceil (M*P*N′)*T.

SSB SSB SSB SSB In other exemplary embodiments, the UE may take one Tfor measurement and the next (N-N′)/N′ Tfor data reception, e.g., alternating between the two modes. These exemplary embodiments may be more generally described as including a pre-defined pattern that may be specified, e.g., 1110, meaning the first three Tare used for measurement, and the last Tis used for data reception. This pattern can either be hard coded in the standards (e.g., 3GPP standards) or dynamically signaled by the UE or network via UCI/DCI, MAC CE or RRC.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any suitable software or hardware configuration or combination thereof. An exemplary hardware platform for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, an Intel x86 based platform with compatible operating system, a Windows OS, a Mac platform and MAC OS, a mobile device having an operating system such as iOS, Android, etc. The exemplary embodiments of the above described method may be embodied as a program containing lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

Although this application described various embodiments each having different features in various combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that any of the features of one embodiment may be combined with the features of the other embodiments in any manner not specifically disclaimed or which is not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the device or the stated functions of the disclosed embodiments.

It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present disclosure, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalent.